Undiscovered Country
by SymbolLuna
Summary: The dead have risen and Evelyn Jade is attempting to come to terms and make a life for herself in this new and horrible world. Eventually, she comes into contact with a group of survivors managing to get by in this apocalypse. Among them, she meets an unlikely companion, a redneck named Daryl Dixon. But, as the group is faced with continuous disasters, will they persist or perish?
1. Prologue

**I do not own the Walking Dead. Only what my imagination derives from it.**

She awoke beneath a distorted image of green canopy. Her eyes blurred and her hearing crept back slowly as the sound of birds and various other critters filled her ears. It took her a moment to remember where she was before she sat up, her body protesting eagerly as she did so. Eventually, though, she managed to get on her feet, checking that all her gear was accounted for. It was; her arrows were still in their leather quiver, the bow still strung, her bag was still fastened closed, her gun, her blades, her ammo, everything was there. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was all she owned now and if she were to lose anything, she felt she would lose a part of herself. She had already lost enough-the whole world had lost enough.

It had been somewhere around two months since the shit hit the fan. The first few weeks were the worst, riots in the streets, police power completely devolved. The entire planet was in chaos and the government was at a complete loss. Money lost all value, people became reduced to their worst basic survival instincts. She had been luckier than most, living in somewhat rural Georgia, she was able to lock herself in her small home, relatively safe. They called for an evacuation to Atlanta, but her gut told her not to go. She was quite glad too- they bombed it, killing everyone seeking refuge. It wasn't long after that that the broadcasts stopped, the power went out, all form of structure seemed to no longer exist. But how could anyone expect it to when the dead began walking?

Evelyn shook herself out of memories and worked to concentrate on the present. Gathering her things, she set off in search of water. It took around fifteen minutes before arriving at a small brook. First things first, however, she took another fifteen minutes to scope out the surrounding area to be sure it was clear and to check that there was no sign of something threatening to have recently passed through. Once the task was complete, she set her things down, keeping the gun close and began to peel off her clothes, scrubbing the dirt and dried blood off her skin before removing a small container of goopy green stuff from her bag and lathering it onto the cuts she'd received from her encounter with a small group of bandits. They'd taken her things and tied her up, but by chance she'd been able to escape when a group of walkers appeared almost out of nowhere. It had been a close call, but Evelyn considered herself incredibly lucky.

After tending to her wounds, she proceeded to rinse the cool water through her thick black hair, which had grown a bit too long, serving to both make her feel more alert and lift her spirits. She only had two sets of clothes- one for cool weather and one for warm. At the moment, though, the Georgia heat was blazing, so she cleaned her clothes as best she could and redressed.

Evelyn took her time building a fire with which to boil water and cook the rabbit that had happened to hop out of the brush on the other side of the creek bed. It was the first meal she'd had in a few days and, to her, it was finer than fried chicken. She spent the rest of the evening gathering various vegetation and barks to replenish her supply. Everyone she knew used to laugh at her odd penchant for botany. Well, who was laughing now? Evelyn had the skills to harvest everything from soap to painkillers from the environment around her, a skill which carried her far in this new world.

As the sun began to sink and the light began to grow scarce, Evelyn procured a thick, forest green, long sleeved woolen shirt from her bag. She always thought it an ugly thing that made her look rather medieval, what with her black hair, pale skin and green eyes, but that hardly mattered now. It kept her temperature up during the cooler nights, which prevented more problems than it caused.

Evelyn stamped out the fire and slung her quiver, her bow and her bag all across her back before scaling a nearby tree. She never imagined herself climbing trees and the first time she tried, it had taken her several attempts to reach the lower limbs. But, she felt safer higher up and she had gotten it pretty down pat since those first, many, miserable failures. Once up she secured her bag on another limb, tied herself in place and clutched her bow across her lap. She pulled the hood up on her hideous tunic and let herself be dragged into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

Evelyn awoke so suddenly, it was as if someone had roused her intentionally. Her senses were on high alert - something was wrong. She didn't know how she knew, it was just a feeling, an instinct and her instincts had grown increasingly intense these past few weeks. There was no questioning it. Without further stall, Evelyn untied herself quickly and quietly, strapping her bag tight against her frame. Bow in hand, she crouched, preparing to make a move at any moment when she saw something moving through the brush.

_Walke_r, she thought. Just one if she was lucky, even two she could handle, but if it were a group then things could get nasty. They were like bloodhounds, she swore they could smell her. She could pick them off from her position, but she'd have to be quick about it, if there were others nearby they wouldn't be far behind.

She held her breath, but what she saw turned her blood cold. It wasn't a walker. It was a man. Her pulse quickened. The dead were dumb, people were ruthless. Evelyn pressed herself against the tree and prayed he wouldn't see her. He was a rugged, determined looking man with a crossbow and dead squirrels tied together over his shoulder. This man didn't appear anything like the bandits she'd encountered, all wide-eyed and insane, he was composed, calculated, observant. And that frightened her all the more.

Evelyn watched anxiously as he crouched over the remains of her fire, touching the ashes, before standing up again. "Come on out!" he demanded, holding his crossbow at the ready. She started to panic and tried to blend in with tree. "I know you here!" he called out. Looking around, she saw another branch within reach, if she could just get around to the other side, she might be able to make a break for it. She stood up as gingerly as she could, reaching for the next limb. But just as she put weight on it, it snapped and tumbled down. Evelyn hugged the trunk of the tree, squeezing her eyes closed. _Shit_, she breathed.

The stranger pointed his weapon to the tree, "if you don't come down, I'll start poppin' off rounds! Ring the dinner bell for the geeks!" Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek, drawing blood before taking a deep breath, "alright! I'm coming down, don't shoot!" But she knew he was just as likely to kill her as soon as she stepped on the ground, but it was a chance she had to take. At least if she were on even ground, there was a chance to get away- she was a sitting duck in that tree.

"Put you hands up," the man demanded. She complied. "You gotta group? How many?"

"No," she kept her voice steady. Show no fear, no weakness, she told herself.

"Take your hood off," he commanded. She did so slowly, making no threatening, sudden moves. Glancing around, she started plotting which direction would be the best to run. "No group?" he asked again.

"No," she shook her head and brought her eyes back to his. He appeared as if he was mulling this over, "and you? Where's your group?" she scanned the brush, hunting for signs of any slight movement.

"Who says I got one?"

"You can't possibly eat all that yourself," she motioned toward the squirrels.

It was quiet for a moment, even the sound of the birds seemed to melt out of existence as they sized one another up. "I'mma put this down, don't even think about trying to pull one over." She nodded, "okay," she said, dropping her hands slowly as he dropped his weapon.

He turned his back on her and started walking, "come on."

"What?" she blinked.

"You deaf?" he called back, "I said let's go." And despite herself, she followed, keeping at a bit of a distance, keeping on high alert as she watched the surrounding forest. What the hell was she doing? She didn't know this man. He could be leading her into a death trap for all she knew. But it was alluring to be in somewhat civil company of another human being after so long. After a few minutes though, her curiosity chewed her out, "Uh, where are we going?"

"Back to my camp," he told her. And with that she stopped and backed away, a hand on the grip of the pistol in her belt. He looked back at her and she knew she couldn't conceal the horror that crept into her eyes as flashbacks of the men she'd seen on the road since she left home resounded in her mind. "We gotta a group. About twenty. Men, women and children. They take in lost causes. You'd be welcomed."

"Oh," was all she managed to say. He headed off again and, while she hesitated, she followed. The prospect of meeting people intimidated her, but it also excited her. Evelyn hadn't had a civil discussion with another person in weeks, hadn't met anyone who wasn't twisted by this new world. She still held onto her suspicions, but for a strange reason, felt a bit reassured. Endowed with new hope, she caught up to the man in front of her, "I'm Evelyn. Evelyn Jade." He simply snorted and kept walking. But the time she'd spent in absolute solitude was catching up with her, "who are you?"

"Daryl," he responded evenly, keeping up his pace. Up close she didn't find him quite as frightening, but he was still rather imposing. His clothes were ragged and his dark blond hair was dirty. However, she found his eyes intriguing, they were set, determined and challenging. In all, it seemed like he was well adapted to this new world. "Quit starin," he said.

Evelyn turned her gaze forward, "sorry," she apologized, "it's just been a long time since…well-"

"Since you've seen anyone look this good?"

"Yes," she confirmed. Daryl smirked and she quickly corrected herself, "No. I mean it's just…it's just been a long time since I've seen anyone, really. At least, anyone not trying to kill me," she added. "Would you like me to carry anything?" She thought being helpful might prove her peaceful nature and willingness to work within a group.

"I want you to shut up." At that, Evelyn scowled but didn't say another word. She was so close to being reunited with something that could hold a since of normalcy. There was still the chance that Daryl was lying to her, but she didn't find it likely. They walked for what seemed like forever before the trees began thinning out and she began to hear voices, the chatter and clatter of actual people. Evelyn's heart pounded and she was suddenly very nervous. She slowed down as Daryl broke the tree line, how could she just melt back into any form of society? What if she said the wrong things, did the wrong things? It seemed as if every possible thing that could go wrong was running through her mind. She also realized that she had not even seen a reflection of herself and no doubt she looked horrid. Daryl turned back to look at her, "you comin'?" he asked.

She took a breath, nodded and came up beside him, "yeah," she said. Before her was a bustling scene of people working, laughing, smiling and talking. She felt entirely overwhelmed, even more so when they began to stop what they were doing and make their way toward her curiously. For a moment they just looked from her to Daryl, who was stone still. No one said anything, as if they were waiting for her to explain herself. She tried to articulate a message of gratitude, of awe, of welcome, but all that she was able to get out was, "hi. I'm Evelyn."


	3. Chapter 2

Everyone stared at her as she glanced about them nervously. She was about to give up hope anyone would respond so she quickly attempted to formulate a follow up statement, but before she could say anything else a man walked up to her. He was an older looking man with a grayish-white beard, kind eyes and a fishing hat. He took her hand in his, "pleasure to meet you, Evelyn. I'm Dale." Evelyn glanced down at his hand around hers and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"Likewise, Mister Dale."

He smiled back at her in response, "well, you've met Daryl," Evelyn glanced up at the man beside her, but he simply stalked off without a word. Dale led her up closer to the group and began introducing her to all the new faces. The sisters, Andrea and Amy, two pretty blond gals with a subtle age difference between them. Lori, a brown haired, doe eyed woman and her son Carl. Carol and Ed and their daughter Sophia were a small, quiet family. An enthusiastic man named Morales, a black man named T-Dog, and a fidgety fellow named Jim. It was then that her capacity to remember names ran dry. She noticed another man, though, farther off with thick brown hair and an intimidating stare. It wasn't hard to recognize authority and Evelyn quickly made a mental note that he undoubtedly had a significant role in the group.

"That's Shane," Dale informed her. She offered a small smile and a slight wave in his direction, neither of which he returned. "Don't worry about him. C'mon," Dale put a hand on her shoulder and led her up to the heart of the group and offering her a seat at a picnic table that she supposed had been there a long time.

"It's amazing," she mused, "you all seem so…normal."

"Well, we try," was Dale's response. Evelyn watched as the group went about their chores cheerily. As cheerily as one could be at the end of the world, anyways. She spotted Daryl far off on the other side of camp, sitting at a large rock, his back toward her. He wasn't alone though, another man she hadn't seen was sitting across from him as they gutted the squirrels Daryl had brought back. The man had a sarcastic smirk on his face and as he lifted his eyes to meet hers he said something that caused Daryl to point his knife in his direction, to which the stranger simply laughed. "That's Merle, Daryl's brother. Not the nicest man in the world, I'd advise you to just steer clear of him."

Evelyn tore her eyes from the group and picked at the chipped picnic table, "you know, I almost didn't believe him," she confessed. "I've not seen anything like this since the outbreak. All the people I've encountered have been the worst kind…" She shook her head and smiled, "I'm sorry. I've been quiet so long, I'm afraid I've been reduced to a babbling fool."

"All that matters," he told her, "is that you're here now and you can stay here as long as you want."

"Just like that?" she asked, "you'd take in a stranger, just like that?"

"We're all just people trying to survive."

Evelyn looked up as a skinny woman with short hair, that she remembered to be named Carol, came over with something in her hand. She held it out to Evelyn who could then see it was a package of crackers. "Imagine you might be hungry," she offered with a smile.

"Oh, no, thank you, but you don't have to do that, really."

"It's okay," she responded kindly, "we have enough, especially with what Daryl brought back."

"Are you certain?" Carol simply placed the pack in her hand in answer. "Thank you," Evelyn said as gratefully as she could. She felt as if taking the crackers was rather selfish; she hadn't been here long enough to deserve them and she certain didn't have enough time to earn her keep. But she gave some of them to Dale, which made her feel slightly better about the ordeal.

"Everyone here looks as if they have a job to do," she observed.

"Oh yeah, we have quite a nice routine worked out."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Well actually," Dale said, "I was wondering if you'd like to go rest for a while in the RV. You look dead tired, if you'll pardon the expression."

"I look tired?" Evelyn pressed her hands to her face, a face she hadn't seen in weeks and wondered just how bad she did look.

"Like you haven't slept in ages."

"I'm alright, really," she reassured, "I actually slept a few hours just last night and I want to repay you all for your kindness. It'd look terrible if I were to just go nap."

"Tell you what," Dale said, "you go lie down in the RV and we'll give you a job to do when you wake up."

As much as it felt discourteous to her, the more selfish part of her ached to have a chance to shut her eyes somewhere that wasn't a tree, somewhere she didn't have to worry about walkers. "Okay," she caved.

Dale smiled and walked her to the door, "now if you need anything, don't hesitate. I'll be up there," he pointed to the roof. She nodded and thanked him again before going inside. It was pretty well kept and clean, extra blankets, clothes and other items were stacked here or there, even a deck of cards sat waiting on the table. In the back of the RV was a small bed and as she looked upon it, her body suddenly grew very heavy.

There was a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye and as she turned she could help the gasp that escaped her mouth. She waved her hand back and forth to be sure it wasn't any sort of illusion - it wasn't. It was her, but at the same time, it _wasn't_. How could it be? Her hair was so much thicker now, her pale skin had become almost sickly, black bruises outlined her eyes and her veins were a prominent blue-green color. Hastily, she sat her things in the floor and removed her wool shirt. She was so much thinner. Any fat that had been on her body had practically disappeared, she now appeared so frail, but turning side to side and lifting her shirt she supposed it wasn't that bad. She wasn't boney, but neither had she any muscle. _Well, I guess the apocalypse is one way to loose weight_, she humored to herself. Evelyn continued to examine herself for a few more minutes, puffing air into her cheeks to make them less hollow, checking the scars she'd received, finding that they were now just puffy pink, irritated strips of flesh. She struck a few more poses before sighing and laying down on the small bed, the sun streaming through the mesh windows warmed her and the voices that flooded through were relaxing. Immediately she took back anything she said about not being tired. Once her head hit the pillow, she lost all strength to lift it back up, falling asleep before even being able to count to ten.

Evelyn awoke with no sense of time, her heart skipping a beat at waking up in an unfamiliar environment, until the memory of where she was flooded back to her. She sat up and stretched before swinging her legs into the floor, slipping her feet back into her boots. After lacing them back up, she stood and stretched again, stopping dead when she didn't see her bow, her quiver, nor her knife or gun from her belt. Her bag was still in the floor and she plucked it up frantically, rummaging around on the inside. Everything was accounted for, except her extra ammunition and her hatchet.

Her anger flaring, she fastened the large bag tightly, securing it over her shoulder and to her back and barged out of the trailer. Glancing around, she saw Daryl off by himself, sitting on a stump and sharpening a knife. Setting her shoulders, she stalked over to him. As she approached, he stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, "what do you want?"

"Where's my stuff?" She demanded,

"What?" he asked.

"My stuff," she repeated, "where is it?"

"The hell you talkin' about?" Daryl asked with budding irritation.

"My bow, my quiver, my gun, my ammo, my hatchet, my knife, all missing."

He stood up, towering over her, "I didn't take your shit, if that's what your after."

Evelyn stared back at him evenly, "I'm not accusing you, I am asking you where it is."

"It's safe," a voice behind her spoke up. She spun and saw Shane, his arms folded across his broad chest. "Listen, we don't know you. We can't afford to be careless. I promise, nothing will happen to it and you'll get it back, eventually. But until then I can't allow you to carry it around camp. And no one is allowed to carry guns."

"But I will get it all back?" Evelyn asked.

"I promise, one way or another, they'll be returned to you, but I can't promise you when," Shane responded pointedly.

"Okay…" Evelyn said, "yeah, okay. I suppose that's fair." She was, after all, in his camp. His camp, his rules, no matter how vulnerable they made her feel.

"Glad we can come to an agreement," he said before he turned and went off to talk to Lori and Carl at the picnic table.

Evelyn turned back to Daryl who sat back on his stump. She sat on a log across from him, wrapping her arms around her knees. "What now?" he asked dryly.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked.

"What, it ain't good enough for ya?" he responded sarcastically.

"No, no, it's wonderful what you have here."

"Then what's it matter?" He didn't look at her as he continued to slide his blade over the sharpening block.

"It matters to me," she bit the inside of her cheek as he stopped his motions and met her gaze.

"You looked scared. And pathetic," was his answer.

Evelyn scowled and tipped her chin up defiantly, "I was not scared," she lied.

"Then you were stupid. In either case you'd probably dead sooner rather than later. So just thank me and get on with it."

"Thank you," she said, locking her green eyes onto his deep blue ones until he broke their contact, going back to his task.

"You're welcome," he grumbled. There was a finality there that told her that was the most she was going to get out of her mysterious savior. With an inward sigh, she got up and headed back in the direction of the RV. Dale was sitting on the roof with a rifle, so she went up to the two blonde sisters Andrea and Amy who were hanging up laundry, Lori was among them also.

They greeted her with smiles, "Hiya Evelyn," Amy said.

"Hello," she responded.

"What can we do ya for?"

"I was told everyone has a job and I was wondering what I could do to help," it came out sounding more like a question then a statement, but they seemed to accept her as genuine.

"What can you do?" Andrea asked.

"Well…" she thought, "I can hunt. And I'm good with plants," they looked at her rather funny, "but I can do anything that you'd like," she added hastily.

"How about you help us hang this up for now?" Lori suggested.

"I can do that," she said, grabbing a shirt and hanging it on the line.

"So, Evelyn, where'd you come from?" Andrea asked.

"About fifty miles past the other side of the city," she responded.

"How old are you?" Amy inquired.

"I'm twenty-one, but my birthday is in October."

Amy gave out a sigh, and Andrea laughed "guess you're still the baby then, Amy."

"By one year. Just _one year_."

"What'd you do before all of this?" Lori asked as she strung up a pair of pants.

"I was a Librarian. But I also did a little wairtressing. Not the most glamorous professions, but it paid the bills and I enjoyed it."

"What do you mean you're good with plants?" Amy asked.

"My father was a scientist, brilliant man with crazy ideas. He studied physics and…"

"And what," Andrea spoke up when she fell silent.

"And disease," she confessed. "But, I, uh, I was always interested in natural medicine. Herbology, and botany. I'm not a doctor, by any means, but I know a thing or two about using plants. I can make certain remedies, pain killers, soap-"

"Soap?" Lori interrupted. "You can make soap?" The three women looked at her eagerly.

"Yeah," she glanced between them, "I can make soap."

"I think you must be the best contribution Daryl Dixon ever made," Andrea laughed.

"You said you father was a scientist? He studied disease?" Lori focused on her seriously. Evelyn's heart sank. She wished she hadn't mentioned her father. "Did he know anything, did he tell you anything about-" she swept her arm through to air, "_this_?"

"No, he didn't tell me anything. I don't know even know if he _did _know anything." Evelyn stared at the piece of laundry in her hands without really seeing it, "he was in Atlanta…" she didn't have to explain further before Lori put a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving a small condolence. The mood had been effectively ruined.

"You should talk to Shane," Evelyn looked up at Andrea. "The Dixon brothers are the ones that usually go hunting. You could go with them to get your plants and things and you could make a stock of medicine, couldn't you?"

"And soap," Amy added.

"You really have to understand, I'm not a doctor, I've had no professional training. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

"I still think it would be a good idea to do what you can. We don't have a lot of medicine for anything and it's better to have something than nothing at all," Andrea pointed out.

"I agree," Amy chimed.

"I don't think it sounds like such a bad idea," Lori added.

Evelyn nodded, "okay, I'll do what I can." They continued on with their task in relative silence. Something was fluttering in the back of her mind the whole time, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It didn't really click until she looked up, by the position of the sun, it was around noon. But, she had arrived at the camp with Daryl around the same time. Which didn't make sense, unless… "How long was I asleep?" she asked, breaking the quiet.

"You slept through all of yesterday," they confirmed. She hadn't meant to sleep so long. She hadn't even realized it, but the weeks of running through the woods, sleeping in trees must have just been catching up to her. The idea of a restful sleep from here on out made her happy. Yet, she couldn't suppress the memories of her father that kept flooding her mind after her mention of him. Evelyn could still remember so clearly the last time that they had spoken. It had been more than just her gut that told her to stay away from Atlanta. She recalled how he had told her to bar all her windows, all her doors, to get whatever she could together in order to make a quick break for it, but to stay inside for as long as she could. He told her how much he loved her, how proud her mother would have been.

"Shoot straight, baby girl," he had told her, "just like I taught you. And for God's sake, don't miss." That was the last time she'd heard her father's voice. He was cut off and never called back. That night was the night they dropped napalm in the streets of Atlanta, Georgia. The night that all structure had shattered beyond repair. There was nothing then, that anyone could do, except to shoot straight and pray they didn't miss.


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who expressed their enjoyment so far! I hope I can continue to give you a good story. **

**Please note though, that I don't _actually_ have knowledge about plants. I'm making it up. Don't put strange vegetation in your mouth, kay?**

**Oh! And also, I'd just like to state now that the rating is subject to change. It's my first fic, so a bit of it I'm kinda winging. Hope you like it!**

Evelyn finished helping the girls with the laundry and located Shane working on a jeep. He wiped his hands on a rag as she approached, "need somethin'?" he asked.

"Um, well, I was talking to Lori and Andrea and Amy about the camp and they said you didn't have a lot of medicine and things and, well, you see, I'm good with plants." She knew she was rambling, which was a little frustrating for her because she had always been so articulate. It made her feel so terribly awkward.

"Plants, eh? Well, maybe you could find some watermelon seeds or somethin'," he said jokingly.

"No," Evelyn shook her head, aware that Shane was making fun of her, "that's not what I mean. I can make certain remedies and things from plants."

He looked at her then with real interest, "you tellin' me you can make _medicine_ from plants?"

"And soap," she added cheerily, since it was a fact that seemed to delight the girls. "But, of course, it wouldn't be as potent as _actual _medicine, but it can do some good." Evelyn slid her bag off her shoulder and rummaged inside it until she pulled out a small container of her goopy green stuff and handed it out to him. He took it and popped off the lid, squinting his nose at the smell. "It smells funny, I know, but I made it using plants native to this area."

"What is it?" he asked, dabbing a little on his finger.

"It's a slave for cuts and burns," she lifted her baggy black tank top and showed him the pink scars on her abdomen, "I got these about…" she thought for a moment, "a week and a half ago. I've been putting that on the scars everyday and they're pretty much healed. It's combination that, with it's particular properties and complimentary chemical reactions, speeds up the closing of a wound, while acting as a mild disinfectant. It also relieves burns." She dropped her shirt and took the container back when Shane held it out to her.

"What are you, some kind of doctor?" He asked, with what she dared to wonder to be slight awe, as he wiped the salve off his fingers.

"No, no, I'm not a doctor. I'm a librarian," she confessed.

Shane chuckled, "Who'da thought," he said, somewhat to himself.

"Andrea told me the Mr. Merle and Daryl Dixon go out hunting often. If I could go out into the woods with them, I could scavenge for some things and start creating a stock. It won't be state of the art, but it could be beneficial, and a good place to start. Also, I'm rather good with hunting, I could assist with that at the same time."

Shane ran his hands through his hair, and exhaled dramatically before pointing at her, "I'm going to put a lot of faith in you because these people need to be taken care of. Nothing personal, but I still can't trust you yet. You can go out with the Dixons, but you're still not permitted to carry your gun. I'm gonna have Daryl keep a close eye on you and anything that you make from these plants of yours, any _'remedies' _or _'salves'_, I will see you use on yourself first, so I can make sure they're safe."

Evelyn nodded, "sounds completely reasonable," she agreed. And in truth, it was. She wasn't sure that, if in his place, she would handle the situation any differently. He was only looking out for his own and she couldn't be irritated at that. Although, she hoped that by doing this, it would prove her more trustworthy and reliable.

"Alright," Shane said, "let's go talk to Daryl."

Shane and Evelyn made their way to tent shared by both Daryl and Merle. Both Dixons were present and stood up as Shane came to them, Evelyn on his heels. "How y'all doin today?" Shane asked pleasantly. Merle spat and up close he looked like one of those tough, thick headed guys who purposefully sought out trouble. Dale's warning to steer clear resounded in her mind.

"Right as rain, Chief. What brings ya over?" Merle questioned.

Shane turned to Evelyn, "this here is Evelyn Jade, our newest member of the group thanks to your brother," he nodded at Daryl. "Y'all are gonna taker her out with you whenever you go huntin'."

"What for?" Daryl asked.

"Because," Shane pressed, "she says she knows how to make medicinal and practical things out of plants that we may be interested in."

A wide grin spread across Merle face, "well no shit," he said in a way that irked her, but she kept a stoic face.

"Daryl, I'm recruitin' you to keep a close eye on her."

"My day just keeps getting better and better," he remarked sarcastically.

"Aw, now don't be like that, baby brother," Merle said. "I wouldn't mind keeping an eye on her myself," he grinned at her in a way that made her uncomfortable.

"Plannin' on goin' out today," Daryl told her.

She nodded, "sounds good. I can help you hunt too…"

"Up to you two, if you want her bow in her hands or not," Shane told them.

"Don't matter, you can do what you want," Daryl said, standing up and shouldering his crossbow.

"I'd like to see the little lady take a shot." Merle said.

"Alright," Shane agreed. "Evelyn, Dale holds all weapons accounted for, you can get your bow from him."

"Don't take too long!" Merle shouted after her as she headed back to the RV. She found Dale on top of it, that seemed to be his designated job, and she shouted up to him.

"Hey Dale!"

"Oh, Evelyn! Need something?"

"Yeah, I'm going out with the Dixon's hunting. Shane says you have my bow."

Dale spared a look in the direction where Shane stood still talking to Merle and Daryl before climbing down. "Just wait one moment," he told her before going inside. She glanced back at the trio, but quickly turned when she saw Daryl staring at her. "Here you are," Dale held out the leather quiver, which she strapped on her back along with her bag, and her bow which felt familiar and comforting in her hands.

"Thanks," she said.

"You wanna leave that bag here?" He asked her.

"No, it's alright. I've grown accustomed to it. And it has things I'll need."

"If you say so," he responded.

Evelyn hurried back to the three men and offered a small smile. Shane gave one last curt nod, "alright," he said to the brothers before leaving. She passively wondered what they'd been talking about.

"Y'all gonna hold hands?" Merle asked, picking up his rifle, laughing.

"Pardon?" Evelyn asked.

"C'mon," Daryl said impatiently.

She followed them into the woods and they walked for about ten minutes before Merle spoke up. She gathered he was the chattier of the Dixon brothers, "So, _Evelyn_," he said, "I want to see how good your aim is," he turned back to her. "See that bird nest over there? Take it out won't ya?"

She looked at the brothers who just looked back at her, expectantly. She nodded and stepped forward a little, sliding an arrow out of its resting place. Evelyn nocked her arrow, took aim…and missed. The arrow collided with the branch and tumbled to the ground.

She heard the brothers laughing at her from behind, "maybe you should leave the huntin' to us men folk, yeah?"

She bit her cheek and stared at where her arrow hit the branch, when a flicker of movement caught her attention on a nearby tree. In one, fluid, fast motion, she nocked an arrow, pulled and released, a triumphant grin on her face as the bird dropped to the ground.

The laughing ceased immediately and Evelyn looked over her shoulder, smiling at the twisted looks on the brothers' faces. She flipped her hair gloriously and cat-walked to her prize. It was a small victory, but she believed it commanded her a little more respect. And the look on their faces was worth it. She'd known men like Merle and their mouths. Daryl, however, she believed was the milder of the two. He was rough and vulgar but there was more to him than there was Merle. At least, that was her hypothesis.

Evelyn picked up her arrows, wiped them clean with a rag in her belt and held out the fat bird. "Well, _fuck me_," Merle said, "that ain't too bad." He took it from her and tied it to a rope before laying it over his shoulder.

"Where'd you learn that?" Daryl asked her.

Evelyn shrugged, "instinct?" she offered. "The hungrier I got, the better my aim became."

Merle laughed and said something, but it was lost on her when she spotted a collection of familiar looking plants with small yellow flowers, "Hey, where you goin'?" Merle asked, "get your ass back here!"

She ignored them and crouched by the tree, sliding her bag off, undoing the brass buckles. It was a sturdy leather bag that her father had used in his "field days" as a scientist. Said it never failed him and so far, it's held up for her too. Evelyn pulled out a large, hard leather bound book with yet another buckle (she never understood what her father so much enjoyed about the combination) and flipped through the detailed pages. It was all handwritten by her father and he had given it to her once she showed a real interest in the subject. It was full of his accurate, artistic drawings, descriptions, uses and recipes.

She found the flower in question and sat the book gingerly on the grass_. _

"…_the yellow flowers may be harvested and combined with various other specimens to produce various products. When combined with ground Saggius and Bourin's bark (properly diluted), it can act as a mild pain killer and sleep aid."_ Evelyn pulled out a fat, brown, padded roll and rolled it open in the grass. It contained many tiny little slots with small vials and pouches. She looked around for her knife before remembering she still didn't have it. Turning to the brothers, who eyed her curiously, she asked, "may I borrow a knife?"

"Yeah, here," Daryl handed his out to her without hesitation.

"Thanks." Evelyn felt around the plant to get a feel of which way it's roots were growing. When she was satisfied she knew the relative area in which to cut, she eased the knife into the ground, pulled it out and stuck her finger into the slice. She heard Merle make some crack about 'third base', but she was too in her zone to pay attention. Evelyn felt the tiny alteration in the soil, removed her finger and cut in a wide circle. The procedure was just as delicate as an operation, a fact most people didn't understand. For example, Merle got impatient and left, saying he would meet them back at the camp. Overall it took about fifteen minutes to uproot and harvest the exact parts that she needed based on their quality.

"You finally done?" Daryl asked as she gathered everything back up.

She handed the knife back to him, "yes."

"Good," he said and turned from her. He was silent, watching and she knew that was what you were _supposed _to do when hunting, but it was _so _dull that she had to start up some conversation.

"So, Daryl, what'd you do before all of this?" He didn't look back at her, so she sighed, going back to being studiously ignored when-

"Worked as a mechanic," he informed her.

"Nifty," she said.

He grunted, "guess so," he paused before asking, "what about you?"

"I'm a librarian. But I also waited tables for a little 24hr diner. We had a lot of truckers stop in, so it was books by day and tables by night."

"Don't look like no librarian," he told her.

"What do you mean?"

"Ain't they all old?" He kept his tone even, so she had no way of knowing if he was joking or not, but either way, she laughed so hard she had to stop walking and he turned around to give her a funny look. "What?" he asked her, as she was bringing herself down to giggles. Evelyn wasn't sure what was so funny about it, perhaps just how mundane the statement was compared to everything, but she hadn't laughed so hard in a while. Giving her a dirty look, Daryl told her she was too loud, to which she apologized.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she told him.

"Whatever."

Not wanting conversation to end there she asked, "is it just you and your brother?"

"Yeah," he said, "ain't got no one else."

"I'm sorry," Evelyn responded gentler than before.

"Where's your people?"

"It's just me," she confessed softly. "My father was in Atlanta when they bombed it."

"Why weren't you?"

She tried to take that with as little offense as possible. "He told me not to go. Bar up the house and stay there for as long as I possible."

"What made ya leave then?" he asked.

"The town was becoming infested and though I lived a bit secluded, it was only a matter of time before they migrated in my direction. Thought it best to leave while I could."

Daryl didn't say anything to that, just kept walking, occasionally stooping to inspect the ground. On their hike, he managed to take out small game and she was able to collect more plants, including the necessities to make a crude soap.

A few hours later they stopped at a small grassy clearing by a stream. She sat by the water and watched as he stood back against a tree, ever alert, and wondered if the break was more for her benefit than his own. As he was scanning the woods, she took the opportunity to inspect him. He was rigid, his posture commanding. She pictured him cleaned up, but she still couldn't fathom him being any softer than he was now. Evelyn wondered what kind of life he had that allowed him to adapt so easily to this one. She'd always been good at reading people, but he was like a puzzle, incomplete of all his pieces. It was clear in his face that there was more to him, somewhere buried deep under that hard-ass routine of his. She was in the middle of contemplating whether he was capable of sympathy or gentleness when she realized he had been staring holes into her and her probing notions.

Evelyn's face flushed with embarrassment and she scrubbed her hands in the cold water. She hadn't meant to be offensive or prying- she just couldn't help it. She felt her heart skip as the sound of his boots shuffled to her. Would he yell at her? Leave her in the woods? She was really too inquisitive for her own good and it always served to get her into trouble.

Evelyn stiffened as he crouched next to wear she sat, splashing water in his face. "I'm sorry," Daryl said.

She was taken aback, "what? Why?"

"About your father," he looked at her, his deep blue eyes trained on her and in that moment she decided that it _was _possible for him to be capable of sympathy and compassion.

Evelyn looked away from him, down to her hands, as tears welled up in her eyes. _She would not cry. Not here. Not now. _Yet, despite ordering herself otherwise, she blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. Daryl put a hand on her shoulder, an action she didn't see coming. But his touch made her nerves crackle like electric.

She stood up as quickly as she could, wiping her face with her hands and regaining her composure. "We should start heading back," Daryl said.

Evelyn simply nodded in agreement and let him lead the way.


End file.
